LIVERPOOL AT CROSSROADS

Last updated : 17 May 2004 By editor

Alan Hansen in Torygraph

'If Gerrard decides to go - it's all over. Liverpool have to make sure that Owen and Gerrard stay and beyond that there need to be huge changes. United might be chasing Arsenal and you could argue that Sir Alex Ferguson needs three or four new players - at Liverpool it seems that they need six at the very least.

We are told that the side are improving, but they are not. There are major problems and a serious challenge for the Champions League seems a long way off. When Liverpool played Charlton on Easter Monday you could still easily buy tickets on the day - that's not the Liverpool that I knew, where a ticket on match day was unobtainable.

In the boardroom I have serious doubts about whether Morgan and Moores could work together. I know both men, and I know that their passion for Liverpool burns as bright as any other supporter, but I feel that it will have to be a choice. Now, more than ever, Anfield needs a board ready to make difficult decisions.

This season, you will have recognised that Liverpool are reaching a crossroads just from sitting in the stands and watching the supporters. A lot of them are close to turning against the management. The consensus is that, by the standards of the club, this season has been a failure. The next one will have to be different.'